The Department of Fisheries and Oceans is imposing a catch-and-release only policy this summer on the Northwest Miramichi River, one of New Brunswick's famous salmon fishing rivers.

The federal decision will be announced this week and will be implemented on June 30. The federal action is coming in response to concerns from conservation groups about declining salmon stocks.
Mark Hambrook, president of the Miramichi Salmon Association, said the federal department's intervention may help halt the falling salmon numbers.

"Will this help? Yes it will. Will this solve everything? No, we're still going to be short this year if the prediction is true," Hambrook said.
"But at least we're doing something to address the issue and getting more eggs out there, but it's not the total answer."

The number of salmon eggs in the Northwest Miramichi River has dropped dramatically in the past decade.

The salmon association says that last year only 34 per cent of the required number of eggs needed to preserve a healthy population was met.